Dispersants are used in paint manufacture largely for the following reasons:    a) to disperse the film former,    b) to disperse pigments and fillers and    c) to disperse other additives which may be present in paint formulations, for example hardening accelerators, thickeners, flow controllers, flatting agents, preservatives.
As the expert is aware, paint manufacturers generally seek to have the components used for the production of paint formulations available in a form which allows for easy handling. A major advantage in this regard is if a component is present in liquid rather than solid form and can be poured at room temperature (room temperature in the context of the present invention is understood to be a temperature of 25° C. This is routinely achieved by the use of solvents. In principle, suitable solvents are on the one hand water and, on the other hand, organic solvents. However, there are instances where, on the one hand, water is not suitable because it is unable satisfactorily to dissolve the dispersant or because the dispersant is not permanently stable in water and where, on the other hand, organic solvents are not suitable. The latter point is of increasing importance because organic solvents have become increasingly unattractive for environmental reasons so that substantial freedom from VOCs (volatile organic compounds) is desirable. Accordingly, there is a constant demand for dispersants to be presented in a form which is not attended by any of the above-mentioned disadvantages.